Randolph "Randy" Lee Ragan (born June 7, 1959) is a former Canadian elite professional soccer player, who was considered one of the top midfield players in Canada in the 1980s.

Early life and education

Ragan was born in High Prairie, Alberta.[1] At age six, his family moved to Fraser Valley.[2] He graduated from Aldergrove High School in 1976, earning the valedictorian shield.[3] He obtained a degree in psychology from Simon Fraser University and later graduated from law school at York University.[4][5]

Career

Club

While studying at Simon Fraser, he played on the men's soccer team.[6] In 1979, Ragan served as captain of the Canadian team at the World University Games.

In 1980, he was the first draft choice of the Toronto Blizzard for the North American Soccer League, and picked ninth overall.[7][8] He played for the Blizzard from 1980 to 1984, including one indoor NASL season. In 1986, he played with the Blizzard during their 1986 season in the National Soccer League.[9] In 1987, he again played for the Blizzard in the Canadian Soccer League where he was a 1987 First Team All Star.[10] In 1990 he played with the Victoria Vistas. In 1991, he spent one season with the North York Rockets.[11]

International

In 1976, Ragan played for the Canada U-20 men's national soccer team during its unsuccessful qualification campaign for the 1977 FIFA World Youth Championship.

He went on to play 40 times for the Canadian national team.[12] His first game was a 4–0 win over New Zealand on September 15, 1980. His last was a 1–0 loss to China on August 31, 1986. He played all three games for Canada during the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[13][14]

Ragan also played nine games with the Canadian Olympic team and was a member of the 1984 Olympic Canadian soccer team which went to the quarterfinals of the 1984 Olympic soccer tournament.[15][16]

In April 2002, Ragan was inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame.[17]

Coaching

Ragan coached the Guelph Royals 1994 Boys A team who play in the Western Ontario Youth Soccer League. In 2007, he served as coach with the University of Guelph men's soccer team. On May 16, 2008, the university hired Ragan as the head coach of the Gryphons Women's team.[18][19]

Personal life

He and his wife Janet have four sons.[5] Aside from his soccer and coaching career, he also worked as a legal aid attorney.[12] In 2010, he was appointed Chief Technical Officer of the Ontario Soccer Association.[20]

References

  1. ^ "High Prairie native signs new deal". The Daily Herald-Tribune. March 24, 1987. p. 7. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  2. ^ Konotopetz, Gyle (October 7, 1980). "Sky is the limit for Canada's 'Big Bird' in soccer". Calgary Herald. p. 60. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  3. ^ "Valedictorian shield". Langley Advance. June 3, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  4. ^ Parrish, Wayne (May 24, 1986). "Randy Ragan toils tirelessly in obscurity". The Toronto Star. p. 7. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Saxon, Tony (May 17, 2002). "Lack of desire hurts soccer". Guelph Mercury. p. 3. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "Ragan signs for the Blizzards". Langley Advance. March 5, 1980. p. 27. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  7. ^ "Blizzard picks Ragan in draft". The Hamilton Spectator. December 11, 1979. p. 27. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  8. ^ "Ebert top NASL pick". The Standard. December 11, 1979. p. 28. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  9. ^ "Waiters remains uncertain who can suit up for Cup". Newspapers.com. Alberni Valley Times. April 4, 1986. p. 8. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "The Year in American Soccer - 1987". Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  11. ^ "Randy Ragan soccer Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  12. ^ a b Lovegrove, Dan (July 7, 1988). "Steelers begin roster shuffle". The Hamilton Spectator. p. 22. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  13. ^ "Canada Men's World Cup Team 1986".
  14. ^ "Midfielder's lifestyle hits low gear". The Sault Star. July 8, 1986. p. 8. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  15. ^ Koep, Bob (July 28, 1984). "Soccer Olympians to rely on defence". The Toronto Star. p. 30. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  16. ^ "Canada Men's Olympic Team 1984".
  17. ^ "Hall of Fame Names Eight Inductees".
  18. ^ Randy Ragan named head coach of Guelph Gryphon program Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Massey, Rob (October 14, 2010). "Gryphs click on a goal idea". Guelph Mercury. pp. B5. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  20. ^ "OSA Hires former Canadian National Player Randy Ragan as new CTO - Futsal Canada". futsalcanada.ca. March 31, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Ragan
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